A number of payment solutions exist. Existing payment solutions include smart cards. A smart card is typically a credit card-sized plastic card that includes an integrated circuit chip. The smart card interfaces with a card reader at a point-of-sale terminal at a merchant. The card reader interface on the card can include contacts, which can contact contacts on the card reader. During operation, signals from the integrated circuit are routed to the contacts on the card which come into physical contact with similar contacts in the card reader device so that the smart card can communicate with the outside world.
While smart cards are desirable, a number of improvements could be made. For example, existing smart cards do not allow a payer to choose an exact source account for providing the payment and do not allow a payee to choose an exact target account for receiving the payment. They also do not allow payers and payees who might not have traditional card reader hardware to conduct financial transactions. For example, one family member may owe a debt to another family member. This transaction would be limited to either a cash or check-type transaction, since the family members would not operate card reader devices like those operated by merchants.
Also, when using a smart card, a payer may initiate a request for payment at a card reader at a point of sale. The card reader then communicates with a remotely located server computer, which approves of the transaction and facilitates subsequent processing to conclude the transaction. Since the initial request for payment and the subsequent acceptance of the initial request for payment requires a server computer, a payer and a payee that do not have immediate access to a server computer may not be able to conduct the transaction at any time and at any location. For example, the payer and the payee may be at a location which does not provide for easy access to any computer network, let alone a particular payment server computer.
Embodiments of the invention address the above-noted problems, and other problems, individually and collectively.